5.8-magnitude earthquake hits Iran

At least a dozen tremors jolted parts of Southern Iran on Wednesday. The biggest of the tremors measuring 5.8 magnitutde on the Richter scale struck near the city of Ahl, Fars province, at approximately 00:08 am local time (1938 GMT).

According to the Iranian Fars news agency the epicenter of the quake was located in an area 53.9 degrees in longitude and 27.0 degrees in latitude. The main quake was followed by at least 11 aftershocks ranging from 3 to 5.2 magnitudes.

Iran sits astride several major faults in the earth's crust, and is prone to frequent earthquakes, many of which have been devastating.

The worst in recent times hit Bam in southeastern Kerman province in December 2003, killing 31,000 people - about a quarter of its population - and destroying the city's ancient mud-built citadel.

Tehran alone sits on two major fault lines, and the capital's 14 million residents fear a major quake.